The following text was originally posted by Jim Wick of LPX-Sales on April 29 2004 to the Chris Craft Commander Club mailing list. Jim took the time to share his knowledge in a response to a fellow member’s question about how to interpret the Chris Craft hull numbers. Thanks Jim for once again sharing your knowledge!

CC had their own method of hull numbering. These letters and numbers and letter were good ways of keeping track of what boat was what.

After WWII the hull numbering system listed a letter or two followed by the size and then the production number. These went from 001 to 002 and on to the last hull built in this model. There were no year designation. Looking in the hull list at a C-30-001 thru 240, the years of production were from Aug 1947 to August 1950. If someone had number 120, it would be hard to figure out the model year.

Then in 1960, (maybe new owners) the letters went from 1 or 2 to 3. These coded model and the "generation" of the run. If there was a big change in the decor or layout, the last letter would change from A to B and the third change would move it to a C and so on. These letter changes sometimes indicated a year change, and sometimes they did not. Take the 38' Commander Express, FXA was used from '64 through '68. Then a major change in decor instigated the FXB for '69. Then next year it went to FXC where it died.

Another example the 47 Commander Double Stateroom that had the letters FAA from '66 to the end of '68 while the Single stateroom was FAB during those years. Cockpit was FAC for 2 years, then interior decor changed them to FAD, FAE, and FAF etc.

So if a model went basically unchanged from one year to the next, the second year started out with 2001.

So that takes us up to the 1970 disaster. New owners, lots of new ideas, major restyling changes. And they couldn't give the things away. Our new auto industry imported executives pushed for major production. Sales didn't sell, and the factory yards across the company were full to overflowing with completed boats. These 1970 model boats were built in '69 and '70 and were still being sold for new in 1972.

And the Coast Guard stepped in and said there had to be a universal and easily readable hull number that gave the year and quarter of the year that the boat was started. So, 1973 or '74 CC had to comply with the new system. CC kept their old system and grudgingly complied with the external Coast Guard numbers. So, up to about '78, you will find one number on the transom and a totally different looking number inside. Actually, they do tell the same things. I would love to have a $ for each time I have had to make the translation for a surveyor, Coast Guard, bank, or boat owner who is confused.

For example, a 41 Commander will have the FAA letters in the CC hull plate and on the transom will be CCHSA and then the hull number (56 for example) followed by codes for the year and time. One more point of interest, the 3rd letter designated the plant where the boat was built, as in the example H would be for the Holland Michigan plant. In the CC hull number, the H was the last letter after the size and hull number.

In the '80's, the only hull numbers were the Coast Guard ones. However, to make things look better, hull #1 might be #215 and go up from there. Not exactly the way it was done in the past.

Totally confused? Just ask. Don't spend too much time analyzing. With out the lists and cross reference sheets, I couldn't tell much either.

Jim Wick LPX